Mount Everett Grads Developed 'Pattern of Excellence'
LENOX, Mass. — When Superintendent David Hasting was in Arizona, he could see thunderstorms coming from miles.
Mount Everett Regional School's class of 2015 was a lot like that. Hastings said he saw the class setting a "pattern of excellence" early on and couldn't wait until they were seniors.
"This class is sort of like that. We have watched from a distance from your freshman year. We watched you roll across the desert and we knew you would be a real whopper when you got here," Hastings said.
"It is going to be tough to fill your shoes. You established a pattern of excellence from early on."
The class may be one of the smallest, at 57, in Berkshire County. But, they accomplished a lot. Valedictorian Max Lowenstein said the students got into Ivy League colleges, starred in theater productions, and the robotics team went to the world championship.
Saturday's graduation ceremony, however, isn't to "flaunt" those accomplishments, he said. Saturday's ceremony was about the freedom the individual students now have.
He reflected on the importance of the pomp, saying for other life milestones places like Tanglewood's Koussevitzkey Music Shed aren't used to celebrate, so why for graduations? The celebrations are the birth of new adults who are now in complete control of their lives, he said.
"After today we will have no structure or obligations other than what we give ourselves," Lowenstein said.
That structure of high school crafted by parents, teachers, and friends are what made each student who they are, Lowenstein said, and it is now time for the students to "take hold" of their lives.
"Today we are celebrating giving up half of our lives," Lowenstein said, adding that anytime someone gives something up, they get something in return.
Principal Glenn Devoti said it isn't the academics that will make a difference in the future, but what is in their hearts. He said the toughness, strength, and kindness the students used to get through high school are the "ingredients" of success. Devoti listed accomplishments former graduates have gone on to do and knows the 2015 class will do the same. But, he courage the students to take a moment to bask in their accomplishments so far.
"My advice is to take time and smell the roses. Be proud of your accomplishments. It wasn't easy," Devoti said.
Salutatorian Alex Valentini credited the teachers, parents, and classmates for not only the lessons in the classroom, but those that aren't. Everything that defines him was crafted by those relationships formed in school.
"The teachers I have had are passionate, smart, driven people, and without them I wouldn't have the distinct honor of being here, in front of you. They pushed me to think, and pulled me back up from the ground, they opened my eyes to my own backyard, and flew me halfway around the world. Most of all, I can say without a shred of doubt, they made me who I am today," Valentini said.
"Their influence stops not at my understanding of calculus, or the way I write an essay. Instead, my interests, my speech, my mannerisms, and nearly everything else that defines me as a person comes from them. For these reasons, and many more, I am forever grateful for Mount Everett and the educators I spent 6 years with."
The ceremony for the Southern Berkshire Regional School District high school featured many awards from department heads, scholarships, and the school committee. The wind ensemble boomed a version of Foiled Again by Jack Wilds. And the class son, sang by the chorus, was I'll be There by Gordy, Davis, Hutch and West.
As the seniors proceeded off of the stage and into the field, the band played their take on LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem. On the lawn, the seniors were greeted by friends and family, who greeted them with flowers, gifts, and embraces.
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Graduates |
Val & Sal |
Scholarships & Awards |
Photos |
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Sage Angell
Charlotte Anstett
Henry Beckwith
Colin Blume
Kosta Casivant
Vaughn Collopy
Emily Curtiss
Alexander Dagruel
Adam Derwitsch
Graeme Drumm
Alexander Dunn,
Austen Dupont
Ethan Fennelly
David Funk
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Samuel Gogel
Francis Gulotta
Shienne Hendrick
Julia Henriques
Hannah Herrick
Jade Hogan
Malik Hogan
Samantha Hoover
Lorna Houghtlin
Vladimir Koneazny
Julius Kyagaba
Peter Lovejoy
Max Lowenstein
Bradley Lupiani
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Joseph Makuc
Jacob Malicky
Kara Ormsbee
Daniel Padron
Nicholas Pedretti
Anica Pond
Jessica Quenneville
Shane Riiska
Madison Ryan
Jordan Sander
Brenda Santos
Katelyn Shannon
Ashlee Shaw
Lauren Silk
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Brandon Sullivan
Russell Swartz
Vinh Ton
Sarah Toomey
Stephen Ullrich
Alexander Valentini
Benjamin Webb
Michael Whitaker
Christopher Whitbeck
Michaela White
Daniel Wilbon
Blake Wilkinson
Aaron Withers
Kristen Wolfe
Zachary Wright
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Tags: graduation 2015, Mount Everett,
The graduates set a pattern of excellence early on said school officials. See more photos here.
